


In Heaven

by Loveislove87



Category: Emmerdale
Genre: AU, Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-14
Updated: 2020-11-14
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:48:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 717
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27561784
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Loveislove87/pseuds/Loveislove87
Summary: A love letter to "The Five People You Meet in Heaven" by Mitch Albom
Relationships: Aaron Dingle/Robert Sugden
Comments: 4
Kudos: 33





	In Heaven

Aaron’s alarm pierced the silence of the small space. He didn’t know why he kept it set; he was always wide awake by the time it screamed into the morning quiet. Blindly, he shut it off and groaned as he sat up in bed. Nothing worked quite right anymore. His muscles were tight, arthritis had attacked his shoulders and knees.

He limped into the bathroom, hopelessly trying to loosen his stiff bones, and brushed his teeth. The man staring back in the mirror was barely recognizable. He’d lost a good chunk of his hair in his forties, leaving behind a patchwork of sparse, white strands and shiny, red skin. Wrinkles supposedly told a story of wisdom. He cracked a smile at himself when he figured he’d rather be dumb as a bag of bricks then have so many marks painting his face.

Stretching, he made himself a cup of tea and looked out the window of his flat. He’d never gone far, always living in Yorkshire, overlooking the garage. So many dreams he’d had, lost to complacency and bad fucking luck.

He rinsed his cup out in the sink and put it on the rack to dry. The part of his morning he hated most was getting into the uniform. Nothing made him feel quite as old as practically falling over himself to get into a pair of coveralls. If he tripped over himself when he was young, he could laugh and feel like an arse. Now, he’d break a hip and lay in the same spot ‘til the kid came searching.

It was habit now that he stop at the café to grab two coffees, for himself and Pete, the other mechanic. Pete was a nice guy, young and optimistic, determined to see the world and play his part in changing it, too. Aaron would listen silently as the young man rambled on and on, nodding where it seemed appropriate, trying to imagine himself ever being as idealistic as the kid.

He arrived right on time, digging his keys out of his pocket and pushing the stubborn door open with his hip. Without looking, he flipped the lights on and practically dropped the hot drinks when he heard “Happy Birthday!”

“Bloody hell!” Aaron’s heart raced and he took deep breaths, hoping the sudden surprise didn’t knock him out.

“Sorry, Ron, didn’t mean to scare ya that bad. Have a seat.” Aaron wanted to resist but thought it best. It was bad enough having to sit after a little fright, but it’d be worse to faint like an old lady.

He placed the coffees on a small working table and nodded toward the muffins on the hood of the beater they’d been working on. “Those for me?”

Pete smiled and Aaron almost smiled back. “You bet, old man. Here ya go. Got ya favorite.”

Aaron muttered a thanks as he nibbled on the chocolate treat. “Thanks, kid.”

“85, huh?”

Jesus Christ. His cheeks flushed and he nodded.

“Any big plans today?”

“Nah,” Aaron placed his muffin down and took a sip of his coffee. “Just wanna get this hunk out of here. We’ve had it too long already.”

“Yeah,” Pete sighed. “Piece of shit, that is. But I think I found the problem!” With a wink, he jogged to the control panel that moved the rig up and down. Aaron stayed in his chair, shamefully still recovering from Pete’s innocent surprise.

There was something about the sound the rig made as it slowly lifted the car into the air. Something different, too loud. A ringing metal against metal that Aaron hadn’t heard before. He furrowed his brow and stood with some effort, trying to see if something needed a hit of grease or a tune up.

A sudden shift had Aaron moving faster than he’d moved in decades. His knees almost gave out and he wheezed while he moved, but he was determined to reach Pete before the car did.

“Pete, move!” But the poor boy was stunned and watched, almost in slow motion, as the car tilted off the elevated rig.

Aaron summoned every ounce of energy in his stores and shoved Pete as hard as he could, the feeling of warm, large hands in his the last thing he remembered before the darkness took over.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading.
> 
> This is a serious work in progress so please bear with me. It's gonna be angsty and heavy but there'll be some good stuff, too.


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